5 Reasons Why You Should Turn Down Your Next Freelance Project
- May 28th, 2012
- Articles
This article is a collection of reasons why as a web designer you may potentially need to turn down your next design project. Its so easy a freelancer to accept every project opportunity which comes your way, but sometimes you must turn down potential new projects.
Too many projects too little time
Undertaking a new project, when your currently snowed under with several other design projects. It is never a good idea to be greedy for the sake of money, by trying to squeeze in another design project. You may be capable of completing the project, but at the cost compromising the good high quality standard which you usually offer, which could be damaging to your personal brand or company.
Image: Bigstock
The client has a bad reputation
You should avoid working with clients who show signs of being a nightmare client. Its a hassle working with a client who is generally a bad client i.e. keep requesting work revision, difficult to contact etc. It’s unnecessary stress and can be a huge time consumption. It is difficult to grasp whether a client will be hard to work with, but sometimes you need judge them off first impressions. 
Image: Bigstock
A project you don’t agree with or you feel is unethical
It’s never a good idea to associate yourself with a project you don’t agree with for example fox hunting, race, religion etc, it can reflect badly on your company or personal branding. You may not mind working on projects which are on a controversial topic, but other clients who may have interest within working with you maybe offended by your choice of projects, you agree to undertake, therefore may choose to hire another freelancer rather than yourself.
It’s for free or a substantially low fee
There’s a few exceptions when it’s acceptable to work for free, but for most occasions it’s something you should certainly avoid. You can’t make an income from offering a free service, once you work for a client for free it’s difficult to up sell your service to make them start paying you. Working on free projects is also very time consuming, therefore you are unable to accept better freelance opportunities which may be paying you the big bucks.
Image: Bigstock
Unable to agree projects terms
Never accept a project, if you are not completely aware of the terms and conditions such as the payment, workload, revisions etc. It’s essential to clarify every aspect of the project, before committing your time and effort to it. If you can’t negotiate and come terms with the client simply turn down the project. It’s a recipe for disaster to start a project without any between you and the client agreement.
Wrapping Up..
Turning away paying clients can be a difficult decision to make, but in the future it will pay dividends. Do not allow your vision to be clouded whether you should turn down a project, simply by the large payment which the client may be offering.
